Why You Really Should Boast in Your Weaknesses

 Struggling Woman

"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I must admit that I have always struggled with Paul's words here. 

Boasting about my weaknesses? Is that a typo? Shouldn't we rather boast about our strengths? 

Do people really want to hear about how I struggle with perfectionism?  

Wouldn't they rather know that I once wrote a 100+ page thesis or that I graduated from college magna cum laude? 

Do people really want to know how much I fear being "found out"?  

Do I really want them to see that I am not as "with it," as responsible, or as smart as I pretend to be?

No, but...

I believe people want to see us for who we really are, the good and the bad. It's what makes us real. However, we are generally reluctant to admit our weaknesses. I would much rather people believe that "I'm fine" than share with them my struggles. To do so seems burdensome. Not to me but to them.

But to really share our struggles, to admit that we need help sometimes, would actually strengthen us.  

Paul tells us that being weak is really a source of strength. Not that his weaknesses in themselves made him strong, but they provided more opportunities for Christ's power to rest on him. That ubiquitous thorn in his flesh was not only a source of torment for Paul, but also a wellspring of delight.  

In his weaknesses, Paul became strong because his "thorns" made him less self-reliant and more dependent on the Almighty. 

In his weaknesses--not his strengths--Paul's character developed, and he was better able to minister to others because he shared with them in their struggles.

Likewise, when we accept our "thorns" and actually boast in them, we, too, lean more on God and less on ourselves, becoming a more effective witness for Him.


Do you find it easy to share your struggles with others, or is it easier to hide behind a mask of "I'm fine"? What "thorns" can you delight in today?


Blessings to you,

 

Keri

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